Roots
by SaltWaterRain
Summary: A stange letter and a box are sent to Sakura one morning. Inside the box are potted plants, but the thing with the plants is...  The beging of a Sakura Akatsuki story!


**Roots**

**Chapter 1**

Sakura stuck her key in the lock and jiggled it around until she heard a satisfying click. She repocketed her key and opened the door, stepping into the entryway of her apartment. She looked around with excitement. _Just a few more days and I'll be out of this cardboard box! _Her apartment was small and old. The roof leaked and there was a harsh draft on windy days. She rarely had friends over because her place was just too small. The entryway was simply a floor mat and a coat rack next to the door. It opened up into her quaint living room which contained a maroon loveseat and maple coffee table. There was an end table at one end of the small couch and a dead potted plant at the other. Sakura was never very good with plants. Across the couch set up there was a fairly large TV on a maple stand. Anyone who didn't turn it on wouldn't know that it was about 10 years out of date and didn't show anything other than ant races. It didn't matter much though because Sakura was much to busy to sit around and watch TV anyways. She was a skilled ninja who went on lots of missions and worked at the hospital whenever she had fee time.

She had just come back from a high ranking mission and was dying for a hot shower and some real food. Sakura removed her packs and pouches, hanging them up on her coat rack. Taking off her forehead protector, she tossed it on her coffee table and walked into the next room, the kitchen. Her kitchen was small, just like everything else in her apartment. There was a white fridge against one wall next to a stainless steel stove. There were a couple of maple cupboards and a matching pantry on the opposite wall. Sakura readied a large pot full of water and set it a boil on the stove. She opened up her pantry and removed a bag of instant ramen. She wasn't as big of a fan of the stuff as Naruto, but she still enjoyed it. Especially when she wasn't in the mood for cooking. She opened up the bag and poured the brick of dried noodles into a ceramic bowl, then carefully poured the now boiling water into the same bowl and let it soften her noodles as she cleaned up her cooking mess. After a few minutes she picked up her bowl from the counter and went to sit on her small metal folding table and chairs that were placed in the middle of the kitchen.

After eating she began to hand wash her bowl when her door bell rang. She shut of the water and dried her hands, walking towered her front door. She stood on her tippy toes in attempt to get a view of her visitor out of the peep hole in the door. There stood Ino, holding a large cardboard box in her arms. Sakura smiled and opened up the door.

"Hey, Ino." She greeted.

"Oh, good! Your back!" Ino exclaimed. "How'd it go?"

"Easy, without any problems." The pink haired girl answered. "What's in the box?"

Ino stepped through the door and into Sakura's apartment. "Flowers of course, duh." The blond set the box down on the coffee table.

Sakura blinked in surprise. "Flowers? For me? From who?" _Its not my birthday or anything._

"There anonymous." Ino clarified. "Some one dropped them off at the shop this morning. All that came with them was this letter." She handed a small white envelope to Sakura. "I already read it."

"Thanks_._" Sakura said sarcastically, opening up the letter. _Trust Ino to stick her fat pig nose into my business! _She pulled a small note out of the envelope, unfolded it, and read it out loud. "These flowers are extremely rare and important. Take good care of them and protect them well. They have been entrusted to you."

"Weird much?" Ino asked, she had started opening the box. "It couldn't be anyone you know well. All your friends know your terrible with plants." She indicated to the dead plant next to the couch.

Sakura nodded in agreement, tossing the note on the coffee table and helping Ino to open the box. The kunoichi couldn't help but to gasp as they removed the last of the tape and opened up the box, revealing the magnificent exotic potted plants underneath. They were all in the same black pots but that did nothing to undermine their unusual beauty.

Sakura reached in and grabbed out one of the plants from the box. It was a large Venus flytrap with a smooth dark green trap. It's maw was clamped shut, but was still rather awe inspiring because it was at least as big as her fist. It had two small leaves protruding from its thick green stem. Sakura placed the Venus flytrap aside on the coffee table and reached into the box again, pulling out another plant. This one was a lily. Its big, lengthy, yellow petals had a soft silky touch. She placed the sunny colored flower down next to the Venus flytrap as Ino grabbed another pot, one that contained a tulip. The tulip was a bright, almost obnoxious, orange color. The only thing that calmed its blinding glory was the few black traces it had around the edge of its petals. It stood tall and flamboyant on its thin, straight stem. Ino placed that flower next to the others, frowning. I removed a fourth flower from the box, a blue water lily. Its bright blue petals spiked outward in a way that made them seem almost dangerous. But that was defiantly not the strangest thing about the plant. It was a water lily, a plant that was soposed to grow in the water. This one was potted. Sakura set it next to the rest. Ino's frown deepened as she took out another flower. It was a gorgeous red rose. It's delicate smell wafted past as Ino inspected it. Each petal had a weird black swirl on it. Ino put it down as I pulled out the next flower. This plant was mostly vines, with a five brown shriveled flowers tucked away in its tangles. The whole plant looked quite old, and the vines themselves were a dark black. The mass of eerie vines was quickly placed with the other plants. Ino pulled out the last flower in the box. It was a lone chrysanthemum. Quiet large, and a dull grey in color. It's center was red and had a weird triangular design in it.

"The plants are all… weird." Ino murmured, putting the daisy with the other flowers.

"Well, yes. Duh." Sakura remarked sarcastically, crushing the cardboard box and disposing of it in her trashcan.

"No, seriously. I know my plants." The blond frowned up at Sakura. "No plants like these have ever been recorded."

"I'm a little bit more concerned about the creepy letter." Sakura stated. "Why would some one entrust their valuable plants to me?"

"Maybe they think you'll protect them from enemy ninja!" Ino squealed, it was now her turn to be sarcastic.

"Protect flowers? That's stupid." Sakura grinned at the idea.

Ino stood up. "Well, I gotta get back to the shop. See you later, forehead."

"By pig." Sakura retorted. She walked over and held the door open for her friend.

"Do you mind if I come back over later to study the flowers? Maybe try and figure out what species they are?" Ino asked on her way out.

"Sure, but I just got back today, how about sometime tomorrow?" Replied the pink haired girl. "Okay, tomorrow works. I haven't got any plans. I'll be over first thing in the morning!" The blonde yelled back as she ran down the hall and out of sight.

Sakura closed the door behind Ino, silently praying that no one else would disturb her evening. She really needed a warm shower and soft bed. After glancing once more at the strange array of flowers laid out on her coffee table, Sakura headed off to her bathroom to start her shower.

The tiny bathroom was Sakura's least favorite thing about her apartment. The linoleum floor was peeling and the faucets dripped. But the shower, although small, was a welcomed relief after any mission that kept her away from home for more than a couple of days. As Sakura stepped into its warm sprinkle she could feel the shower practically washing her exhaustion down the drain. Forgetting about the strange flowers she focused once more on her new house. Not that she had one yet, but she would. She'd been saving up for years and was almost there. _I'll be out of this dump in no time! _

After finishing up her shower Sakura toweled off and dried her hair. She quickly brushed her teeth before heading off to her bedroom to get changed. Her bedroom was only slightly larger than her bathroom. It was fairly empty except for her small bed and wooden dresser. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of light blue flannel pajamas. After quickly changing Sakura plopped onto her bed with a relaxed sigh. She smiled thinking of how long she was going to sleep in the next day. Then she frowned when she remembered Ino was coming over. Next, her frown deepend when she remembered the _reason_ Ino was coming over, the strange plants sitting on her coffee table. With a more troubled sigh, Sakura got off her bed and walked down out of her bedroom and back into the living room.

She glared at the potted plants sitting on her coffee table. She was defiantly not a plant expert, but she new one thing for sure. Plants need water and sunlight. Since it was rather late, the sun had already set, leaving light out as an option. Sakura kneeled down next to the table and reached into the pot of the nearest plant, the lily. The dirt was bone dry. _I guess you guys need water. _Sakura groaned in annoyance as she picked up the lily and carried it into her kitchen, setting it on the counter. She grabbed a plastic cup out of a cabinet and filled it with tap water. She turned back to the lily with a full cup, emptying it into the yellow flower's pot.

Instantly a loud resounding "POP!" filled the air as the potted lily was quickly replaced by a _very _disoriented _very _nude blond man sitting on her kitchen counter. He was completely soaked, his hair plastered down and water dripping off of him onto the floor. With a shock, Sakura realized the man was Deidara of Akatsuki.

"What the Hell?" Sakura screeched jumping backwards and away from the naked S-ranked criminal.

Deidara didn't reply, but instead he grabbed the closest thing he could use to cover up, a hand towel. He wrapped the small cloth the best he could around his waist as he jumped onto the floor, his face bright red.

Sakura simply stared at him. Aghast in having the criminal in her house, much less covering his manliness with her dishcloth. In a quick realization of the threat the man in front of her posed, Sakura made a rapid grab for a kunai, only to remember that she had hung her weapons pouch on the coat rack. Fearful, she too a cautious step back from the blond haired man.

"What the- Why are you- The plant?" A look of confusion spread over the pink haired girls face.

But instead of answering, a expression of recognition overcame Deidara's face. "Your that pink haired bitch, yeah!"

Sakura pursed her lips at the insult, anger overriding shock. "You tell me what the frick your doing in my house and then I'll accept your apology."

"What makes you think I'll apologize you-" Sakura silenced the man with a punch in the face. The cocky blond fell to the ground with grunt, his makeshift hand towel skirt falling to the floor as he held onto his nose. The little fag was lucky Sakura was tired and spent, forcing her to land the man a normal punch instead of one of her usual chakra infused bone breaking ones.

Sakura leaned over Deidara. "I'm not in the mood, gaywad." She growled, poking him hard in the chest at each syllable. "So let me ask you one last time. Why are you in my house?"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
